The maternal management of children, in health and diseaseBull, Thomas
Science
The maternal management of children, in health and disease
Bull, Thomas
Child care
Again; if there is simply vomiting of the breast-milk almost
immediately after the child has been suckled, the milk coming up pure
and unchanged, and discharged without any apparent effort, and the
moment after the child is cheerful and happy, this will be found to
depend upon repletion, and not upon unwholesome milk; in fact, the
stomach has received too much. This must be prevented in future, not by
giving medicine, but simply by removing the infant from the nipple
immediately it ceases to draw strongly, the moment it begins to dally
with the breast.
Again; if flatulence and griping occur to the child brought up by
handy this derangement will generally be found to result from
overfeeding: abstinence and diminution of the quantity of the food will
generally be all that is necessary here. It will be well, however, for
the mother in this case, and she may do it with the utmost safety, to
unload the bowels of their indigestible contents by the exhibition of a
tea-spoonful of castor oil. A dose or two of this medicine will
effectually clear them out, without increasing the irritation, or
weakening the child, whilst it will in most instances altogether remove
the symptoms. If the flatulence, however, should continue, four or five
grains of magnesia may be mixed with the last meal at night, and a
little warm water thrown up into the bowel as an injection the next
morning.
Diarrhoea occurring in a child brought up by hand, if it be not the
result of overfeeding, will very frequently be found to arise from
unsuitable diet, the food given not being of a kind suited to the
infant's stomach; for what will agree with one child often disagrees
with another. Alteration of diet will sometimes alone suffice in these
cases to cure, if this alteration is only made early enough, before any
considerable irritation of the stomach and bowels has been induced.
Thin arrow-root made with water (prepared very carefully, or the child
will refuse it,) should be given for five or six days; the warm bath
used every night for the same period, a new flannel bandage rolled
round the body, and the child cautiously protected from a damp
atmosphere. The arrow-root, upon the cessation of the diarrhoea, may
have cows' milk added to it, if milk is not found to disagree: when
this is the case, chicken or weak mutton broth, free from fat, or beef-
tea, thickened with farinaceous food, with a little salt added, are the
best substitutes. Should not the diarrhoea yield to the foregoing
measures, and that readily, medical aid ought to be sought. Diarrhoea
is very frequent from the time of weaning to the third year of age, and
certainly in its effects forms so important a disease, that, unless in
the slight form noticed above, a mother is not justified in attempting
its relief.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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